diff --git a/src/Simplex/Chat/Library/Subscriber.hs b/src/Simplex/Chat/Library/Subscriber.hs
index 8e166d1940..3312e928de 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Chat/Library/Subscriber.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Chat/Library/Subscriber.hs
@@ -22,9 +22,7 @@ import Control.Monad
 import Control.Monad.Except
 import Control.Monad.IO.Unlift
 import Control.Monad.Reader
-import qualified Data.Aeson as J
 import qualified Data.ByteString.Char8 as B
-import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy.Char8 as LB
 import Data.Either (lefts, partitionEithers, rights)
 import Data.Functor (($>))
 import Data.Int (Int64)
@@ -488,7 +486,8 @@ processAgentMessageConn vr user@User {userId} corrId agentConnId agentMessage =
               let tag = toCMEventTag chatMsgEvent
               atomically $ modifyTVar' tags (tshow tag :)
               logInfo $ "contact msg=" <> tshow tag <> " " <> eInfo
-              (conn'', msg@RcvMessage {chatMsgEvent = ACME _ event}) <- saveDirectRcvMSG conn' msgMeta msgBody chatMsg
+              let body = chatMsgToBody chatMsg
+              (conn'', msg@RcvMessage {chatMsgEvent = ACME _ event}) <- saveDirectRcvMSG conn' msgMeta body chatMsg
               let ct'' = ct' {activeConn = Just conn''} :: Contact
               case event of
                 XMsgNew mc -> newContentMessage ct'' mc msg msgMeta
@@ -933,7 +932,8 @@ processAgentMessageConn vr user@User {userId} corrId agentConnId agentMessage =
             let tag = toCMEventTag chatMsgEvent
             atomically $ modifyTVar' tags (tshow tag :)
             logInfo $ "group msg=" <> tshow tag <> " " <> eInfo
-            (m'', conn', msg@RcvMessage {chatMsgEvent = ACME _ event}) <- saveGroupRcvMsg user groupId m' conn msgMeta msgBody chatMsg
+            let body = chatMsgToBody chatMsg
+            (m'', conn', msg@RcvMessage {chatMsgEvent = ACME _ event}) <- saveGroupRcvMsg user groupId m' conn msgMeta body chatMsg
             -- ! see isForwardedGroupMsg: processing functions should return GroupForwardScope for same events
             case event of
               XMsgNew mc -> memberCanSend m'' scope $ newGroupContentMessage gInfo' m'' mc msg brokerTs False
@@ -3154,20 +3154,20 @@ processAgentMessageConn vr user@User {userId} corrId agentConnId agentMessage =
       createInternalChatItem user (CDDirectRcv ct) (CIRcvConnEvent RCEVerificationCodeReset) Nothing
 
     xGrpMsgForward :: GroupInfo -> GroupMember -> MemberId -> ChatMessage 'Json -> UTCTime -> CM ()
-    xGrpMsgForward gInfo@GroupInfo {groupId} m@GroupMember {memberRole, localDisplayName} memberId msg msgTs = do
+    xGrpMsgForward gInfo@GroupInfo {groupId} m@GroupMember {memberRole, localDisplayName} memberId chatMsg msgTs = do
       when (memberRole < GRAdmin) $ throwChatError (CEGroupContactRole localDisplayName)
       withStore' (\db -> runExceptT $ getGroupMemberByMemberId db vr user gInfo memberId) >>= \case
-        Right author -> processForwardedMsg author msg
+        Right author -> processForwardedMsg author
         Left (SEGroupMemberNotFoundByMemberId _) -> do
           unknownAuthor <- createUnknownMember gInfo memberId
           toView $ CEvtUnknownMemberCreated user gInfo m unknownAuthor
-          processForwardedMsg unknownAuthor msg
+          processForwardedMsg unknownAuthor
         Left e -> throwError $ ChatErrorStore e
       where
         -- ! see isForwardedGroupMsg: forwarded group events should include msgId to be deduplicated
-        processForwardedMsg :: GroupMember -> ChatMessage 'Json -> CM ()
-        processForwardedMsg author chatMsg = do
-          let body = LB.toStrict $ J.encode msg
+        processForwardedMsg :: GroupMember -> CM ()
+        processForwardedMsg author = do
+          let body = chatMsgToBody chatMsg
           rcvMsg@RcvMessage {chatMsgEvent = ACME _ event} <- saveGroupFwdRcvMsg user groupId m author body chatMsg
           case event of
             XMsgNew mc -> void $ memberCanSend author scope $ newGroupContentMessage gInfo author mc rcvMsg msgTs True
diff --git a/src/Simplex/Chat/Protocol.hs b/src/Simplex/Chat/Protocol.hs
index 84d5cc8c3d..830a4e27b0 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Chat/Protocol.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Chat/Protocol.hs
@@ -1152,18 +1152,13 @@ appJsonToCM AppMessageJson {v, msgId, event, params} = do
 key .=? value = maybe id ((:) . (key .=)) value
 
 chatToAppMessage :: forall e. MsgEncodingI e => ChatMessage e -> AppMessage e
-chatToAppMessage ChatMessage {chatVRange, msgId, chatMsgEvent} = case encoding @e of
-  SBinary ->
-    let (binaryMsgId, body) = toBody chatMsgEvent
-     in AMBinary AppMessageBinary {msgId = binaryMsgId, tag = B.head $ strEncode tag, body}
+chatToAppMessage chatMsg@ChatMessage {chatVRange, msgId, chatMsgEvent} = case encoding @e of
+  SBinary -> AMBinary AppMessageBinary {msgId = Nothing, tag = B.head $ strEncode tag, body = chatMsgBinaryToBody chatMsg}
   SJson -> AMJson AppMessageJson {v = Just $ ChatVersionRange chatVRange, msgId, event = textEncode tag, params = params chatMsgEvent}
   where
     tag = toCMEventTag chatMsgEvent
     o :: [(J.Key, J.Value)] -> J.Object
     o = JM.fromList
-    toBody :: ChatMsgEvent 'Binary -> (Maybe SharedMsgId, ByteString)
-    toBody = \case
-      BFileChunk (SharedMsgId msgId') chunk -> (Nothing, smpEncode (msgId', IFC chunk))
     params :: ChatMsgEvent 'Json -> J.Object
     params = \case
       XMsgNew container -> msgContainerJSON container
@@ -1212,6 +1207,15 @@ chatToAppMessage ChatMessage {chatVRange, msgId, chatMsgEvent} = case encoding @
       XOk -> JM.empty
       XUnknown _ ps -> ps
 
+chatMsgBinaryToBody :: ChatMessage 'Binary -> ByteString
+chatMsgBinaryToBody ChatMessage {chatMsgEvent} = case chatMsgEvent of
+  BFileChunk (SharedMsgId msgId) chunk -> smpEncode (msgId, IFC chunk)
+
+chatMsgToBody :: forall e. MsgEncodingI e => ChatMessage e -> ByteString
+chatMsgToBody chatMsg = case encoding @e of
+  SBinary -> chatMsgBinaryToBody chatMsg
+  SJson -> LB.toStrict $ J.encode chatMsg
+
 instance ToJSON (ChatMessage 'Json) where
   toJSON = (\(AMJson msg) -> toJSON msg) . chatToAppMessage